A spring graduate, senior Luke Treloar will move to Nanjing, China and study at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies. “The program seeks to foster bilateral academics by combining 50 Chinese students interested in international studies and 50 international students interested in Chinese studies,” Treloar said.

At the Nanjing Center, Treloar will take courses in international economics, trade theory, and international policy.

One challenging aspect of the program, however, will be that all of the courses are taught in Chinese.

Treloar came to Guilford in 2001 from a small high school in Montana; the Quaker setting and the warm temperatures brought him here. “I came to Guilford because I wanted to go to a small school that offered a lot of opportunities,” said Treloar. “And that’s exactly what I’ve gotten out of Guilford.”

After meeting Dottie Borei, professor of History and Director of International Studies, Treloar became inspired and motivated to apply for the Freeman Grant, which he received during his first year to study abroad in China. “I’ve really always had an interest in China,” said Treloar.

Treloar began taking private tutoring in Chinese the summer before his sophomore year at Guilford.

He then studied abroad in Beijing where he accepted a position with a local hospital during the spring semester of his sophomore year.

Treloar worked as a translator for the hospital’s patient services aiding foreigners during the SARS epidemic. “For a person in my studies, (Hopkins-Nanjing) is about as high as one can go,” says Treloar.

“I was delighted to hear that Luke has been accepted to study in China after graduation,” said Borei. She has worked closely with Treloar as a mentor and teacher during his time at Guilford. “He is to be congratulated for his persistence in studying the Chinese language. The fact that Guilford does not offer Chinese makes his admission to this program even more commendable.”

Treloar joins only one past Guilford student to be chosen for this graduate program; the other is Benjamin Burkhart (’01). The achievement is extremely praiseworthy because of the fierce competition, bringing applications from students from schools across the country who have studied China and the Chinese language intensively.

In addition to his academic work, Treloar remains one of the co-founders, along with Alan Bates, of Guilford’s first ping-pong team. Through that, Treloar has met many other Guilford students who share his interests.

“Whether he’s spending a whole weekend in the Science Building to prepare for a test, or if he’s spending his whole Saturday writing a paper in the library, Luke is determined,” said sophomore Andrew Martinez. “More than anyone else I know, Luke knows what he wants to do with his life and this purpose is intimately entwined with China.”

In the long term, Treloar hopes to work initially with a multi-national corporation. He realizes that as China grows to be an economic power, relations with the United States will become ever more important.

“It is necessary, beyond just understanding the language, to understand the culture. That is what I am hoping to get out of the program,” said Treloar.

“Guilford has been amazing,” he said. “George Guo of the political science department has been like a father to me, helping me along the way with my academics. My professors have taken a personal interest in my academic pursuits, something I think is unique to Guilford.”

When asked about his challenges, Treloar comments that the biggest ones are yet to come. “I’ve been accepted, but this is just the beginning,” said Treloar, “achieving anything at the Hopkins level is going to be very difficult.